The invention relates to an invalid lifting and carrying apparatus with a cantilever, consisting of two cantilever components, which is capable of being moved vertically along a standard and which from a position with its frontal area pointing downwards, suitable for holding a seat, may be tilted around a swivelling axis into a position reaching further upwards, suitable for carrying a belt device. Such invalid lifting and carrying apparatus is used currently in hospitals and is familiar.
The familiar invalid lifting and carrying apparatus has cantilever components both of which are connected to each other by a joint. The cantilever component on the standard side always remains in a horizontal direction while the frontal cantilever component may be tilted from an approximately horizontal position into an inclined downwards pointing position, in which it is possible to attach a seat. In the horizontal position a belt device may be hung instead of a seat.
The joint connecting the two cantilever components must be reliably locked in both the front cantilever component's positions, for which reason a catch mechanism is provided. Should the catch mechanism, in particular in the front cantilever component's horizontal position, not be properly locked owing, for example, to functioning difficulties arising because of soiling, it may come about that, during loading of the cantilever, the front cantilever component suddenly tilts downwards which may lead to injury of the patient or the person helping him. A further disadvantage of the familiar invalid lifting and carrying apparatus lies in the fact that, in the cantilever's horizontal position, its furthermost end is not of a sufficient height from the ground for lifting a patient high enough when a customary belt device is used. In this connection, it may be considered that the height of the standard and therefore the maximal possible lifting capacity of the cantilever is relatively slight because otherwise the apparatus could no longer be moved through doors. Tilting the front cantilever component beyond the horizontal position upwards is not possible because the patient would then hang too near to the standard side cantilever component and could injure himself on the latter.
The older German patent application, P 36 18 526.4, describes an invalid lifting and carrying apparatus where pockets are provided leading, from above, into a slide on the outer side of the standard. In these pockets a cantilever may easily be replaced. Thereby, various cantilevers or mountings may be provided for seats and belt devices, so that an optimal adaption onto the lifting area of the invalid lifting and carrying apparatus is possible. A disadvantage related to this, however, is that the appropriate cantilevers must be kept ready, the handling of which is relatively awkward, since they are relatively heavy.